The Conservative Party is using its 'sizeable war chest to start to move the needle,' by using a 'veiled populist appeal,' and targeting middle-aged suburban men and women in two new ads.

The Conservative Party’s reported $2-million national ad push is its 'opening salvo' of the 2019 election, and pollsters and strategists say the two ads currently on airwaves are both aimed at introducing new leader Andrew Scheer and putting 'pocketbook' issues in focus in the lead-up to the next campaign. If one out of every 20 Canadians drifts away from the Liberals to the Conservatives, that 'one in 20 swing changes the dynamic from Liberal majority to Conservative minority' in 2019, says pollster Nik Nanos. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The Conservative Party’s reported $2-million national ad push is its “opening salvo” of the 2019 election, and pollsters and strategists say the two ads currently on airwaves are both aimed at introducing new leader Andrew Scheer and putting “pocketbook” issues in focus in the lead-up to the next campaign.

The Liberals will be under attack from all sides in the next election campaign, but Liberals say they have a good story to tell and some say they need to sharpen up their communications strategy before it's too late.